1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display used as a display section of an electronic apparatus and, more particularly, to an MVA mode liquid crystal display having high viewing angle characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
An MVA (Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) mode liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “MVA-LCD”) is a liquid crystal display which is a combination of vertical alignment techniques for achieving high contrast and high response and domain division (Multi-Domain) techniques for achieving a wide viewing angle. An MVA-LCD has alignment regulating structures (linear protrusions and blanks in electrodes) provided on a substrate to achieve domain division. Alignment regulating structures also have the effect of eliminating a need for a rubbing process which is a major cause of a reduction in productivity. Therefore, high productivity is achieved for MVA-LCDs.
However, MVA-LCDs still have problems to be mitigated. FIG. 18 is a graph showing transmittance characteristics (T-V characteristics) of an MVA-CLD according to the related art. The abscissa axis represents voltages (V) applied to the liquid crystal, and the ordinate axis represents light transmittances (%). The line X1 in the graph indicates T-V characteristics in a direction perpendicular to the display screen (hereinafter referred to as “frontal direction”), and the line X2 indicates T-V characteristics in an upward direction at a polar angle of 60° to the display screen (hereinafter referred to as “diagonal direction”). The polar angle is an angle to a line perpendicular to the display screen. The display mode of the liquid crystal display is the normally black mode. As shown in FIG. 18, the T-V characteristics in the diagonal direction include a region of gradations where the transmittance is higher than that in the T-V characteristics in the frontal direction and a region of gradations where the transmittance is lower than the same. This results in a problem in that chromaticity in the diagonal direction deviates from chromaticity in the frontal direction. In particular, the problem is significant in the region where the transmittance in the diagonal direction is higher than the transmittance in the frontal direction. That is, a problem arises in that a display image in dark halftones has an undesirably whitish appearance in the diagonal direction.
FIG. 19 is a graph showing chromaticity characteristics of the MVA-CLD according to the related art. The line Y1 indicates variation of the chromaticity characteristics depending on gradations in the frontal direction, and the line Y2 indicate variation of the chromaticity characteristics depending on gradations in the diagonal direction. As shown in FIG. 19, the MVA-CLD according to the related art has another problem in that its chromaticity varies depending on gradations and viewing angles. The transmittance of each gradation is determined by the magnitude of retardation that occurs in the liquid crystal layer. Chromaticity also varies depending on the magnitude of retardation, and this results in the phenomenon that chromaticity varies depending on gradations.
It is an object of the invention to provide a liquid crystal display having high chromaticity characteristics and viewing angle characteristics.